Faerie's Lantern: Introducing the Courier

A little over a year ago, Lysarae Velanya started the Crystal Chronicle. It was, actually, the second newspaper of that name, following in the footsteps of one founded by Talman and Deidra Rose years prior. But Velanya's paper wasn't around all that long, before she closed her doors.

I happened to inherit the company, if with limited resources. I'm Lehil Laruzedah. It's very fair to ask exactly who the hells I am. Totally fair. I worked for the second Crystal Chronicle, mentored by my family's friend, acclaimed journalist Maxe Sahashin. Aunt Maxe was a prolific writer for the original Crystal Chronicle, as well as having bylines in the Garnet Gazette, The Crucible, and some others.

As the daughter of the owners of the Bandee Pakshee - yes that's their ads, and yes I'm ashamed of myself - I've worked hard to avoid the blessings of nepotism in my life. I was a Commander in the Lilium Fellowship Peacekeeper Corps during the Garlean Wars, before settling down with a daughter of my own, Ruby, and my wife Andy. In truth, I took up the pen because it was something neither of my own mothers had done, so desperate was I to do something that set myself apart. Well! I'm not longer in their shadow!

But that does not an Editor-in-Chief make. Aunt Maxe and my first boss Lysarae taught me far batter than that. No, The Black Chocobo Courier needs a purpose. I need to steer that purpose. The highest duty of a journalist is to seek the truth and report it. But whose truth? We have places like the Mythril Eye thar report the news of the Alliance. We have pamphlets like the Ardently Faithful that speak the truth of the deeply conservative voices of Ishgard. Who do we speak for?

The glib answer is we speak for you, our readers. The more complex answer is that we hope to speak for the people who fall between the cracks of the major publications. The everyday. The artists, the venue owners, the adventurers, the barflies, the downtrodden. The everyday extraordinary person in an world growing ever more weird and wild day over day.

Allow me, readers, one indulgence. This column, Faerie's Lantern, will be my little corner of the Courier. You can write me questions, I can tell you stories. As I explore the world as the intrepidest (I know it's not a word, allow me two indulgences) reporter I can be, I'll use this as my place to talk directly with you. Person to person. No pretense.

I hope these terms, and I, myself, am acceptable to you, dear reader, as we embark on a new venture in the who, what, why, and how of Etheirys.

Joining me on this adventure are some of the best up-and-coming writers I could find on a reasonable budget. People like my trusted friend Mikoso Yumitori, an ambassador from t6he reclusive undersea kingdom Sui-no-Sato. People like my mom's apprentice and voracious reader Kyana Kato, who will lead our book reviews. People like Blitz Ace Curiosity Blanchimont who will helm our sports section. People like Velyana and Sahashin.

And of course, you can hardly have a Black Chocobo Courier without a black chocobo. We've taken under our wing the lovely little delivery bird Chocomere. She's hearty, friendly, and loyal - core values we at the Courier try to represent. If you see her out and about, grab the latest issue of our humble little leaflet from her bag. She's always putting our best talon forward.

Together, we're the Black Chocobo Courier. We're here to change how you think of the world by showing you your own place in it. Join us on this journey, won't you?